Baked Crab Cakes

One of my favorite things to order when I go out to eat are crab cakes, but so many times the cakes are actually more "filler" than they are crabmeat. I discovered this recipe for these delicious crab cakes in Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave" cookbook. 

These have quickly become one of my favorites and I think that they will be yours, too! Please don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients -- they are so simple and your family will be so impressed!

**** In photo above, those are sliced red pepper strips in the front of the picture that I had bought on sale and previously frozen.

cooking spray

1 large egg, beaten

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Dash of hot sauce (I use Texas Pete)

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 scallion, finely chopped (use the white and green parts)

1 pound lump crabmeat

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce,lemon juice, hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning.

Stir in the diced red bell pepper and scallions.

Pick over the crabmeat and discard any shells or cartilage.

Gently fold in the "clean" crabmeat, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, salt and pepper into the previous mixture.

Stir until well combined.

Put the remaining 1/2 cup of dry breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 even portions.  Shape each of the portions into a round and roll in the dry breadcrumbs to coat evenly.

Transfer the 8 crab cakes to the prepared baking sheet and flatten each cake to form a patty about 1 inch in thickness.  Spray each cake with a little cooking spray.

Bake until golden brown on the bottom, approximately 10 minutes. Gently flip the cakes over and cook until the second side is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Serve hot with Tartar Sauce or Cocktail Sauce, whichever you prefer.

Note: The recipe for this delicious lower fat Tartar Sauce follows in the post below!